The Elementals
by HolyHogMonkey
Summary: The plot is a work in progress and the title, genre, and rating will probably change as required. The troupe is reunited overseas after graduating from Fuuka Academy and steamy drama and action, naturally, ensues.
1. Chapter 1  A Coincidence or Fate?

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original _Mai-HiME_ characters. All credit duly goes to Sunrise. The following is purely a fantasy involving their characters. :3**

**The following may be TL;DR so don't feel bad for skipping it. **

**Most of my stories will be set in Canada. I'm sorry if that seems unrealistic and boring to anyone but I'm not familiar enough with Japan or even the US to set a story in those countries and I will try my best to create a reasonable back story for this if the story calls for it (I hate back story). I think I would offend people more if I tried to set a story in a different country and made mistakes regarding the customs, geography, culture, etc. of the place. I could never do enough research short of going out and spending a lot of money buying books, watching films, and travelling in order to truly represent the original setting of these characters...**

**Characters are somewhat true to their original personalities. I'm doing my best and we all have different interpretations. **

**This is my first fan fiction since I was 13 years old, obviously (as I'm almost 21 now) my writing mechanics and overall grasp of the English language are better but my creativity as far as writing fiction is out of practice. So please be nice and keep that in mind if you want to critique – be brutally honest about how I can improve, but respectful. Thank you!**

Natsuki watched the clouds drifting lazily by; the sails of great ships fairing through an azure sea. In the shade of the tree under which she lay, her thoughts wandered through the murk that was the night before. Her eyes were open to the world, letting light through to the depths of her mind. She was in another place entirely, unaware of the mild excitement around her. Small children played in the distance. The clang of a ball hitting a bat rang through the park. A child shouted "GO! Go!" to his teammate. The world went on around the girl under the tree, but for her time had ceased completely.

For a while after she arrived at the park her mind was on the past. She rifled through early childhood memories, through to the past few years. Through discoveries she'd made of the mother she once thought had been murdered. Her thoughts soon turned ugly as the previous night's conversation played through her memory. Her mother came home, for once, from work. She usually spent nights at the lab, leaving Natsuki to fend for herself. Naturally, the house was left in a chaotic mess of dirty dishes, dusty furniture, and crumb-covered floors.

But her mother hadn't come home alone. A man entered the house after her. Natsuki heard his piercing, whining voice first – protesting some decision of her mothers' from the moment he stepped through the door. Her mother responded with insistent anger. She was stubborn, a trait she passed down to her daughter.

Natsuki crept to her bedroom and left the door ajar just enough to overhear bits and pieces of their conversation. Something about nanomachines, or nanotechnology, being built wrong, or used wrong, or something. Something about research being used for destructive purposes. And then her name was mentioned. Natsuki, an experiment, a failure. There was so much of that conversation that she'd missed it was impossible to piece it together through context. But she knew she'd heard her name, there was no doubt about that.

A sudden blow to her head shot her straight out her daze.

"OW!" She winced as her hand snapped to her head. She shot up into a sitting position, opened her eyes and looked frantically around for the object that had struck her. A tennis ball rolled to a stop a few feet away from her.

"Oh my God! Are you all right?" called a familiar female voice.

Natsuki saw a young red-haired woman in exercise shorts and a tank top jogging towards her. She was carrying a tennis racket. Behind the girl, about thirty feet away, was a tennis court and the girl's opponent watching with his hand shielding his eyes.

"Natsuki!" The girl stopped a few metres short of the tree.

A chill shot through Natsuki's spine. She couldn't believe her eyes! "Mai?" she exclaimed, clambering to her feet. She didn't even think to hug her old friend – all she could do was stare in pure amazement. "Holy shit, I haven't seen you since graduation!"

"I know, right!" grinned the girl. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm taking Criminology at U of BC. My mom had a job offer with a research facility connected to the university. What about you? How the hell did you end up all the way over here?

Mai gave a glance to her younger brother and waved in his direction. "Takumi had to be transferred to a hospital here in Vancouver. I thought I would like to be closer to him so I decided to go to school here as well. I'm taking Honours Biology. I'm hoping to get into medical school after I graduate! If not, I can go on to teacher's college."

Natsuki smiled. Just like Mai to tend to her little brother. She had let him go with just his girlfriend to America for his first surgery but it seems the poor girl thrives off of caring for people. Nonetheless, she was relieved. It was nice to see a familiar face for once. Since moving to Canada, Natsuki has built up her personal barrier. Work kept her mother stressed and away from home. Relations between the two were becoming more tense the more Natsuki doubted the ethics behind her mother's work. Friendship was the last thing on the young woman's mind.

"So did Mikoto tag along with you across the Pacific?"

Mai grinned. "How about you come along with Takumi and I and find out?"

"That depends, how did you two get here? My bike seats two."

"I've got wheels." Mai gave a flirty wink and motioned for Natsuki to follow.

As they met with Takumi at the court Natsuki saw Okuzaki Akira sitting under a large pine. She waved a friendly hello to Natsuki, who returned a small smile and nod.

"Kuga-san, is that really you?" Takumi asked, eyes wide with disbelief.

"In the flesh," she replied coolly. She ruffled the young man's hair; it had been a couple of years since she'd seen him. "You're tall. Taller than me even. Who said you could get taller than me?"

Mai gave a smirk. "No offence but it ain't hard to be taller than you."

"Hey!" A swift smack on the back taught Mai to be a little more careful with her words. "At least I don't have to duck to go through doorways!"

Mai rubbed her shoulders for a moment and turned the conversation back to heading home. "Come on, I'll show you my car."

The group trekked off to a side street by the park. A few cars sat next to the curb, hidden under the shade of mature trees lining the street. Mai stopped at a red Honda Civic and unlocked her door.

"Not bad," Natsuki mused, admiring her friend's modest taste.

"It gets me from point A," Mai shrugged, opening the door. "But getting used to driving on the wrong side was hard." She hit the power lock and her brother and Akira hopped into the back. "I'm not far from here. Just go up Ontario Street, left on Prince Edward, and hang a right on Ashton Street. My place is just on the right. It's about a ten minute drive."

The red car lurched from the parallel parking spot and again gave a jerky lurch forward before gliding off gracefully down the street. Natsuki made her way to her bike a few streets away. It was so strange to think they had ended up in the exact same part of the world, in the exact same park even, without any communication for two years. It was almost as though some kind of fate had guided them to this place. The thought turned her stomach; fate, from her experience, was hardly on her side. She decided to pass this odd occurrence off as a complete coincidence. No more killing loved ones, no more dying, no more saving the world. That was all in the past.

She arrived to the little cottage-style house to find Takumi and Mai waiting on the concrete porch. She parked the bike next to Mai's car and followed her friends inside. The house was quaint and comfortable. The front hall was small, containing a small coat closet and a shoe mat. The stoop led to a cream-carpeted living groom to the right and a flecked-laminate floor kitchen straight ahead. To the left was another hallway which probably led to the bedrooms.

"Do you own this place?"

"No, no," Mai replied. "I don't have the income for that yet. I rent it with a few -" she hesitated. "Just a few friends from school. It's owned by an older couple but we have full run of the place."

"So where is Mikoto?" asked Natsuki. She took in her surroundings – paintings of British Columbia and of Japan, and photographs of their high school friends, vacations, and family on the walls; shelves with trophies and figurines; a modest 24-inch flatscreen television. Natsuki saw a picture of herself on the windowsill and felt her cheeks slightly redden.

"You'll see her soon," Mai smiled. Natsuki wondered what the anticipation was about. Mai continued with an eager grin, grabbing Natsuki's wrist. "Come, I'll show you the basement."

To the right of the kitchen by the back door were the stairs to the dark, cool basement. Takumi flipped on the light and led the pack down the steps to the rectangular, red-carpeted room. A brown vintage chesterfield sat against the far wall, facing a fireplace. A couple of '70s Lazyboys sat next to the chesterfield. And in the farthest chair sat a woman who sucked the air right from Natsuki's lungs.

Her gasp was audible. All eyes turned to her as her gaze locked on that vision of beauty sitting only a room across from her: a woman she thought she'd never have the grace of seeing again.

"Shizuru!"

Fujino Shizuru stood from her chair and placed the tea cup she'd been sipping onto the side table. That loving smile shone not just on her lips but radiated from her eyes. Her kimono fell gracefully to her ankles.

"Na-tsu-ki," she whispered.


	2. Chapter 2  A Dinner Party

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the clothes on my back! Thanks Sunrise for inspiring the following chapter.**

**As a reminder, this is my first fan fic so if any details seem confusing or lacking, let me know and I'll try to improve it. :)**

**Anonymass: I guess I didn't think to explain Shizuru's sleeping arrangements in detail. I fleshed out the end a bit to explain the basement situation. It's not a cot in a dank basement, it's a converted, fully furnished room. Hope this clears it up!**

Sound was sucked from the room. No one moved, no one made a sound. Mai, Akira and Takumi gazed expectantly at Natsuki as her mind fumbled to settle on a reaction. Her eyes, wide as grapefruit, pierced Shizuru with an expression of such surprise; her gaping mouth slowly curved its way to a small, restrained grin. At last she could retain her happiness no more. A full, open-mouthed grin shattered her reserve as she sprang across the room and dove into her long-lost friend's open arms. The two women crushed each other in their loving embrace for what seemed like an aeon.

At last Natsuki pulled away enough to look her friend in the eye. "Shizuru, it's really you," she sobbed. Tears had somehow escaped from her eyes to pour down her face.

"Natsuki," responded the golden-haired Goddess, as she reached a hand to caress the tears from Natsuki's cheek. "It's quite a surprise to see you here."

Their embrace broke apart as the group relaxed and gathered closer together. "A surprise to see me? What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

Shizuru smiled. "Research." Natsuki gave her a quizzical expression. Shizuru giggled, but said no more of her purpose. "What brings Natsuki to this distant country?"

Natsuki, along with the others, took a seat in the surrounding furniture. Shizuru sat back in her single Lazyboy. "I came with my mother for research. She persuaded me to go on with school, so I'm taking Criminology at the university."

Shizuru responded with a pleasant grin.

"So Kuga-san, where are you living?" asked Takumi.

"Closer to the university," she responded. "By Blanca Street. Near Westmount Park?"

Mai gave a nod, being the only one other than Shizuru with a decent grasp of the city geography. "Have you explored the province at all? It's absolutely breathtaking in the mountains!"

Natsuki bowed her head. "No. I've been busy."

As the day rolled on, after many conversations of hows, whys, whats and remember-whens, Natsuki was invited to spend the night with the Tokihas and Shizuru. The house had three main-floor bedrooms and a make-shift bedroom in the basement, in a large storage closet behind the main room. That room belonged to Shizuru. Despite being designed as a closet, it was the largest and, due to Shizuru's classy decorating taste, probably the best room of the house. It even had a large window near the ceiling that let in afternoon sunlight.

At 7 o'clock, as the friends sat in the kitchen waiting for supper, the lock on the front door started jiggling around. All eyes turned to the door – all seeming unperturbed except Natsuki. After a moment of frantic fiddling, the door swung open, revealing a mop of jet-black hair and a short, skinny figure.

"Ma-a-i-i-i!" Mikoto hollered. "Mai I'm hungry-y-y!"

She turned and waved out the door as a car drove away. Then she closed and locked the door, removed her shoes, and joined the group at the large table. She didn't even take notice of Natsuki.

"That's good, Mikoto, because dinner is ready!" Mai exclaimed, placing a platter of fresh Pacific salmon cooked with basil and various other spices. As a side dish, she placed down a chef salad that could rival many of the Vancouver B-List chefs. She turned to Natsuki, who had a look on her face that seemed to be asking about the mysterious reappearance of Mikoto. "She got a part-time job selling kitchen knives. She just walks around door-to-door, with knives, trying to get people to buy them." Natsuki nodded. "It helps pay the bills."

"This looks great sis'!" Takumi announced. "As always."

The feast began – Mikoto finishing her third helping as the others came to a close on their first. The atmosphere was more than pleasant – on normal days it was just Mai and Mikoto, but today was a special day. Somehow Mai had a hunch to buy that whole side of salmon this morning. It turned out that hunch was right! Not only had her brother and his girlfriend shown up unexpectedly, and not only was Shizuru home for the evening, but with incredible fortune, her tennis ball picked out Kuga Natsuki!

Dessert followed – a fantastic, home-made array of artery-clogging goodness only to be enjoyed once a year. 9 o'clock rolled around by the time everyone had finished eating and digested to a satisfying extent. The troupe had retired to the living room by this point to watch some good old, American cartoons. The Simpsons had become a favourite of Mai's. It was known in Japan, but definitely not to the extent to which North Americans obsessed. There were other shows: American Dad, South Park, Clone High – but while people in Canada seemed to be enthralled by the humour of these shows, Mai, nor her brother or friends, really found it addictive.

"Well sis, we should probably head home," announced Takumi, as he and Akira separated from each other and stood.

"Oh, well I suppose it's getting dark," Mai agreed. "I'll get my shoes on."

"No, it's okay. We'll take the bus. It'll be fine," Takumi assured his sister. She was so protective of him, even if it was an inconvenience to her. He felt like giving his sister a break for the night since she'd worked so hard to make the evening great.

The two walked off after saying their good-byes and waited for the bus. It was only a seven-minute wait and when the bus finally rumbled to a stop, the two hopped on and made their way down the almost vacant bus. They passed a large man in a long, dark coat. He wore a black golf cap, partially concealing his deep eyes. Akira eyed the man as they passed, feeling an uncomfortable, yet all-too familiar tingling of threat.

Mai stretched, letting out a big yawn. "I think I'm gonna pack it in." She stood as Mikoto sprang up from her spot on the floor to follow her friend. "Goodnight, you too. Don't make too much noise in the bed tonight!" she said with a wink.

"What are you suggesting!" Natsuki shot back defensively as Shizuru gave a cute giggle. The woman placed a hand softly on Natsuki's thigh, making her blush and squirm with a look of panic on her face.

Mai giggled as she sauntered down the hall to bed.

"So Na-tsu-ki, what do you suppose we do?"

Natsuki turned back to her old friend, sincerity on her blushing face. "Shizuru, you know I'm -"

"Not interested in me," Shizuru finished. "I know, I remember where we left off."

Natsuki looked down in guilt. "Do we have to talk about this? Now? Shizuru, we haven't seen each other in two years. So much has happened, we've all changed, haven't we? Can't we discuss something else?"

Shizuru gave her friend a sympathetic smile. She gazed into Natsuki's eyes, knowing this was not the time to push her. "Yes, a lot has changed, Natsuki." Her gaze turned to the front window. The night was illuminated by a waxing moon. A few more nights and it would be full. A few more nights and the subject of her conversations with Natsuki would change drastically.

"What does that mean?" Natsuki pried, giving a suspicious look.

Shizuru returned a positive grin. The woman was so hard to read sometimes. Natsuki knew something was up, _something_ was on her mind. But there was no hope finding out just what until Shizuru felt the time was right. Her mind was a freaking Rubix cube sometimes. Full of colour but impossible to crack. Unless you had the right formula, which Natsuki did not. No one did.

"Natsuki, will you walk with me?" Shizuru asked.

The two paced down the small residential street, side by side, only half a foot apart. They were close enough to hold hands. Deep down inside, Natsuki realized, she didn't think she'd mind holding the woman's hand. Such affection was repulsive to her in most circumstances. Publicly showering one another with pathetic infatuation. The feeling only lasts a short while – if the pair does last until marriage that show of affection only dies shortly after. Besides, what is the point of romance, anyway? It only gets in the way of progress. Love is a distraction. Marriage is simply an institution kept in place to increase revenue into the government's pockets and make breaking up an even bigger headache.

But still. Shizuru's hand was only an inch away. Just in reach. Natsuki could already feel the warmth of her skin. Her heart fluttered – _what was that? _She panicked. It couldn't be. Shizuru was a great friend, her best friend even. The person who brought her out of her shell, the woman who regained her trust in humanity – if only a small degree of trust. She was intelligent, strong, devoted to her loved ones. (Perhaps a little too devoted at times.) So Shizuru had different feelings towards Natsuki. That didn't take away from their friendship.

"Natsuki," said Shizuru, suddenly.

Natsuki looked up – she'd been staring at the ground for some time.

"Do you remember when you first noticed the Princess Star?"

Natsuki nodded. How could she forget? She was barely a teenager, had been gazing at the night sky one evening when she noticed something she'd never seen before. She thought to ask her peers but assumed they knew about it too and that she'd be ridiculed for not noticing it before. It wasn't until she'd come to Fuuka Academy that that star made sense to her.

"Do you think something like that could happen again?"

"The Carnival?"

Shizuru nodded. She was watching the sky. Natsuki followed her gaze.

"Do you see something unusual?"

There was a pause. "No," she responded. She hesitated for a moment before continuing: "But sometimes I feel in my bones that something new is stirring."

A knot twisted in Natsuki's gut. She recalled the tense conversation her mother and that man had in their house. Her mother was a HiME as well, she had a role to play in the struggle two years ago. Could some new evil be brewing again? It couldn't be. And of all places, why here?

"Are you sure?"

Shizuru hesitated again, for a long time. "I don't know."

The two had wandered quite far from Mai's home. As they walked back they heard the sound of multiple emergency sirens screeching through the streets somewhere several blocks away. It was a sound that turned their heads, but drew no focus for conversation. The city was large; sirens were pretty commonplace.

They had walked in silence for about fifteen minutes. Finally, Shizuru spoke.

"Natsuki, do you ever think about the time you kissed me?"

Natsuki's heart froze. A stone dropped in her gut. Her cheeks flushed. "No, of course not," she responded coolly, without skipping a beat.

Shizuru glanced sideways at her friend. A look of disdain was painted on her face. Those eyes, those sweet eyes, so hurt. But Shizuru didn't protest. She understood. Love cannot be forced on a person. Especially not the love Shizuru felt.

"Shizuru, you don't, do you?" Natsuki asked bravely. She knew the answer.

Shizuru did not respond for a long time. The two walked in silence, Natsuki gazing at her friend all the while, hoping she wasn't hurt by Natsuki's rejection.

"Natsuki." Shizuru stopped walking.

Natsuki came to a stop and turned to face her friend. Her heart pounded. She felt flushed, a feeling she hardly knew. The girl had never been in love. Love simply was not one of her priorities.

Shizuru's mind raced. Her emotions were falling out of her control. She had to regain composure, fast. Dire situations were at hand, and there was no time for petty romance and lust. But something was on her mind, and she needed to get it off her chest.

"Natsuki, I know it's been a long time since we last saw each other. I know a lot has changed." She paused. Natsuki glanced from one eye to the other, heart racing, anxiety rising. "That's why, I need to tell you -" She cut herself off. She took a breath in and exhaled nervously. "I am still in love with you." Her eyes rose to meet her friend's.

Natsuki blushed, tremendously. She recalled the photo of herself on the windowsill of Mai's house – it wasn't Mai who kept it there. She suddenly recalled seeing another photo – of herself with Shizuru and Fuuka Academy director Kazahana Mashiro – on the mantle above the fireplace in the basement. It suddenly pained her to think of her friend suffering so deeply with her unrequited love. Though it was a feeling unknown to Natsuki she knew that, had Shizuru felt this way for someone else, she would no doubt be sympathetic to her. How could she ignore Shizuru's feelings simply because they were for herself?

"Shizuru." Natsuki was at a loss of words. She simply could not bring herself to return Shizuru's feelings. She loved her friend dearly, but to be _in love _ was a completely different story. For Natsuki, it meant weakness. She recalled Shizuru's fall into madness over her love for Natsuki. She remembered Tokiha's misery when she was torn between Reito-Sama and Tate-san. To allow herself to be victim to such desperate, dangerous emotions? It was despicable.

Yet, she didn't despise Shizuru, nor even pity her, for having these feelings.

"I'm sorry," she said finally.

Shizuru straightened out and insisted she was merely stating a fact for reference, so they were both clear. The two returned home and Shizuru directed Natsuki to the room she could take. The three rooms were all preoccupied but Mai, Mikoto, and Shizuru were the only three who hadn't left for the summer. The room Natsuki took was decorated with band posters, clippings of half-nude men from Playgirl, and a few empty beer cans. At least it beat unicorns and fuzzy pink pillows.

Shizuru waited by the door of the room. She watched her friend familiarized herself with her surroundings.

"Why did they stick you in the basement?" Natsuki asked.

"I needed a place to stay, so Mai put together a very nice bedroom for me – she put in carpet, painted the walls, and even gave me a queen-size bed. There were no rooms left. Mine is much larger than these ones, and I have the whole basement to myself. It's really quite preferable to the rooms up here."

Natsuki smiled. "Mai's great like that, isn't she?" She flopped down on the bed. She could feel Shizuru's eyes on her. "Shizuru, how long have you been here?"

"At Mai's?"

"No – Overseas."

"Almost a year."

Natsuki sat up and looked Shizuru square in the eye. "How did we all end up here, together, in this country of all places? The last time we were together, everyone was going separate ways. Chie, Aoi, Akane, all going to Kyoto. Tate going to study in America. Mai said she was going to Paris for the summer after graduation, she said she was returning to Japan to go to school in Tokyo. And you -"

Shizuru responded with her classic, innocent smile. "Life is quite strange, isn't Natsuki? It's good we've been reunited. Why question it?"

With that Shizuru bid her friend good-night and retired to her regal bedpost.

Natsuki fell asleep with no trouble. The day had been long and though there were a lot of questions buzzing around in her mind, by the time her head hit the pillow she hardly had the mental energy to think them through. She slept soundly. She didn't even notice the gentle, elf-like movements of Shizuru as she slipped into the bed and snuggled up to Natsuki.


	3. Chapter 3 Virtue and Sacrifice

**Sorry for the short chapter. I'm not good with extending action scenes and I'm not too familiar with Takumi and Akira.**

**Any suggestions for a title are welcome as well. I named this fan fic on an impulse knowing I could rename it any time. I need something to attract attention and relate to the story and I'm horrible at doing so.**

The bus lurched into motion and scurried on down the street. Takumi mused about the evening to Akira, who was hardly paying attention. She nodded when she needed to, chipped in a word of agreement here and there. But her eyes were trained on the man in the coat. He hadn't moved, he wasn't showing any signs of watching them. But she could feel it in her bones that something was odd about him.

"And how _weird_ is it that Kuga-san is here!" exclaimed Takumi. "I wonder if anyone else is here, too. Wouldn't that be so cool, Akira? Akira?"

"Hnh? Oh, yeah. That would be strange."

Takumi gave her a curious look. "What are you thinking about Akira?"

The girl hesitated and finally looked away from the man. "Nothing, Takumi. Nothing important. I'm sorry." She gave him an enthusiastic grin to encourage him to keep talking.

Akira rang the bell to signal their stop. A thin man in a raincoat stood and left the bus first. Takumi jumped off and Akira carefully eyed the large man still sitting on the bus as she disembarked. He didn't seem to be following them. Suddenly, just as she stepped off and the door closed, she caught a sideways glance from him boring into her. The bus rattled off down the street, leaving a stone in her gut.

"Akira! Come on! We'll miss the next bus."

Akira caught up to Takumi as they crossed the street to wait for their transfer. Light banter followed, led by Takumi, as Akira's suspicion started to wear off. The two waited for the bus for half an hour when Akira suddenly noticed they weren't alone. The main in the grey raincoat had been waiting a bit behind them. He took notice of her and his eyes met hers. He spoke, in English. Neither of the young kids' English was exceptional enough to carry on an extended conversation.

"Ah, sorry?" said Takumi.

"I was wondering," the man began, enunciating his words. "If you know when the bus might be coming?"

"Oh, think it was to be here ten minutes ago," replied Akira.

The man nodded and went back to gazing at the road. Suddenly the sound of sirens grew louder from the background noise of the city. The screaming alarms drew closer and closer until the lights could be seen just around the corner of the street. There had to be at least four emergency vehicles present.

Akira and Takumi exchanged concerned looks and at once Akira bounded down the street, instructing her boyfriend to wait for her at the stop. The man in the raincoat seemed to take no notice of the event. Takumi gazed at him for a moment with suspicious curiosity and turned back to watch down the street for the bus.

Around the corner were two fire engines, three ambulances and two police cruisers blocking off road access on both sides of the house. And the house they crowded in front of was up in flame. A fire rescuer suddenly burst from the door burdened with a large elderly woman. He ran her across the street and placed her in the care of the paramedics.

She frantically waved her arms and reached for the paramedic next to her. "My grandson! My husband! They're inside! Please save them!" The woman was in hysterics and repeated herself over and over until an oxygen mask was placed over her mouth and she passed out.

Akira's heart skipped a beat. Logic would judge the fire rescuers capable enough of saving the boy and his grandfather, but she was not one to sit idly by and let someone else do the dirty work. She bolted to the scene, through the wall of officers and fire rescuers. A few of them shouted to stop her, two yelled after her to stay away. She slid under two men coming at her and flew through the open door.

Immediately her lungs were filled with the thick, toxic smoke in the hair. Her vision was blurred. But for a woman trained in the art of the Ninja, fire was not enough to subdue her. The hallway was lined with hot, glowing ashes, leading to a wall of flame travelling up the stairs. Logic told her the stairs were where the bedrooms would be. A man rushed into the room after her, followed by a woman, both screaming at her to leave. A gloved hand fell on Akira's shoulder just as she leaped up the stairs and bolted down the second-floor hallway. She followed the growing flames to a door barricaded by fire. She stopped, bent over and hacked a few times as she surveyed the room: she could barely see anyone. She was joined by the two fire fighters, both of whom grabbed her shoulder. The woman grabbed her by the waste to try to hoist her over her shoulder, but the young ninja managed to squirm free.

"Is someone in here?" she called, fighting her lungs for air as she ran inside the room.

She heard a small whimper in the corner of the room. She could make out the small figure of the boy huddled up against his closet door. Fire was crawling around his room like a hungry serpent. Akira jumped over the flames and crouched next to the boy. She looked him in the eye.

"You'll be fine, I'm here to save you."

She reached under his arms and lifted him up, turned around to leave, and froze in her tracks. The male fire fighter had reached the scene and was attempting to take the boy from her, but Akira's eyes were locked on a figure across the small room. The fire fighter followed her gaze and let out a cry of sheer terror.

A hiss louder than the rage of the fire shook the room. A dark, shadowy figure with gleaming red eyes stood before them. It raised its arms. The flames arched around them and swallowed them. Skin seared. Eyed melted. Lungs ceased. Instinct took over and Akira tore away from the room through the fire. Down the hall, the child in her grasp, she flew down the stairs and out the door. She passed the boy into the arms of the first person she came to outside and then collapsed.

The bus came to its stop. The man hopped on, bidding Takumi a good night. He wore a dark smirk upon his face. And the bus rode off. Takumi waited.


	4. Chapter 4 Prelude to a Night Out

Soft sunlight filtered threw the lace curtains of Natsuki'sroom. Her eyelids lifted slowly, bringing into focus the posters, nudes and small mess of empties around her. Whoever this room belonged to, she felt she'd enjoy meeting her.

Natsuki let out a groaning yawn and stretched her arms out behind her head, brushing something soft and smooth as she did so. She started and looked to her left. A mop of golden hair and the small shoulder of a thin woman, swallowed in a heap of blankets, met her gaze.

"Shizuru!" Natsuki exclaimed. Her bedmate gave a soft moan but did not wake. _Not again_, thought Natsuki, letting out a groan. Her hand slapped her forehead in disdain.

Without disturbing the slumbering succubus, Natsuki slipped out of the bed, gathered her clothes, and showered and dressed in the bathroom down the hall.

_One hour passed..._

"Breakfast is served!"

Mai finished placing the cutlery on the kitchen table as Natsuki pulled out a chair across from Mikoto. The girl entertained herself rocking her legs back and forth under the table and fiddling with a fork. Mai had adopted Western dining customs as readily as she maintained those of her native country.

Shizuru emerged from the hallway fully dressed, an expression of pleasant innocent plastered on her face. She took the seat next to Natsuki, who blushed and stubbornly refused to acknowledge the woman. Natsuki knew too well Shizuru was playing naive about invading the bedroom. She made a much more convincing act of innocence than Natsuki.

Mai turned to the table, a bowl of fried hashbrowns in hand, and stopped when she noticed Shizuru must have come to the table from the main-floor bedrooms. She glanced between the two, a perplexed look on her face.

"Natsuki, your cheeks are flushed." She cocked her head, looked from one girl to the other, and seemed to come to a conclusion. A sly grin crept onto her lips. "Are you blushing?"

"Of course not!" snapped Natsuki.

"Wow, did something magical happen after I went to bed last night?"

Shizuru's innocence turned to a look of satisfaction. Natsuki gave a snarl. "Like what, Mai?"

Mai gave a sneaky smirk. "Chill. Okay, I won't ask any more questions about it." She served up a plate of food for herself and offered the others to do the same.

"You spoil me too much," smiled Shizuru.

"Nonsense! You're a dear friend! And you work hard, feeding you is the least I can do!" She popped a forkfull of fried egg into her mouth. "Speaking of which, today is Saturday. Are you free tonight?"

Shizuru gave a nod.

"Great! Then it's decided! We're going out tonight! Natsuki, that means you, too!"

"I should really get home."

"oh," said Mai, defeated. Then her eyes lit up. Go home this afternoon! Then come out with us! You know Wick's on Queens Ave. South?"

Natsuki sighed and gave in. "I suppose I can Google it."

"I can use a night to loosen up," Shizuru agreed. She gave a loving sideways glance to Natsuki. "I think we all can."

_Three hours later..._

Natsuki pulled into the driveway of her mother's house and parked the bike. She unlocked the front door and stepped in to be welcomed by the Bengal cat her mother dragged in a year ago.

"hey, Kiyo," she said with dismay. She hated cats. Admittedly she was entranced by the animal when it was a kitten, and insisted on naming it Kiyo in memorandum of her dear friend Shizuru. But as time wore on the animal became more and more detestable. Natsuki often contemplated bringing home a Shiloh Shepherd to eat it.

She went into the kitchen to find papers sprawled all over the table. She paid little mind to them – her mother often brought work home from other departments which she would review in her off-hours. The work she did herself was top-secret – even Natsuki knew little about it. Too little.

The woman sensed she was alone in the house. Except for the spotted rat that followed her and weaved through her legs. She scowled with disgust and nudged it away with her foot, only to have it rub against her legs again.

She sighed and opened the door of the fridge in search of a beer. Being 19 she could legally drink in BC. She'd grown fond of Canadian beer – it was stronger despite it's labels of 5% alcohol. Something about the way it was measured was different, making it's 5% more alcoholic than Japanese and American 5% beer. Her choice was a bottle of Alexander Keith's Pale Ale, brewed all the way on the other side of the country. She could never comprehend the vast expanse of Canada. So much land, yet so little of it was actually used. It was almost scary to think Japan was able to cram 300 million human beings on its four small islands, and yet Canada's population was just over 30 million and the country was at least twenty times the size in land mass.

Thinking of Japan often made Natsuki homesick. It was nice to know cities in the west often mimicked pockets of other cultures; Little Italy, China Town, Little Greece. But Little Tokyo would never be Japan. Nothing about this country would ever be Japan. Why she agreed to come with her mother eluded her to this day. Something about a change of seen intrigued her, but living in another country was so much different than touring it. Just the language was enough of a hurdle: despite her English classes in high school, she still had difficulty carrying on an in-depth conversation with a native speaker.

In her room, Natsuki flicked on her stereo system and set up her iPod to play Finger eleven. She liked Western rock. It was different than Japanese rock. Not better, but it was nice to break the monotony of one's music taste now and then. She didn't necessarily understand all of the words, but it was probably all about angsty relationships anyway.

She sipped away at her beer and rocked to her music collection. She needed to empty her mind. Anxiety was rising, thoughts were spinning through her head, questions singed her mind like a branding iron. For a couple of hours she simply forgot the world existed. Her music grew harder and darker as each album finished. Finally, exhausted, she collapsed on the bed and gave in to her tortured thoughts.

And try as she might to contemplate the issues at hand, all she could think about was Shizuru slipping in bed next to her in the night. Her heart pounded. Her cheeks flushed. Had Shizuru done anything more? Watched her sleep? _Touched her?_ She outright blushed and brought her hand to her lip. Had Shizuru kissed her? The woman tried so hard. From the day Natsuki discovered Shizuru's true feelings, she tried desperately to win her heart. Shizuru was certainly a dear friend, a caring soul. Natsuki shivered. She wasn't sure if it was fear of infatuation. _To love a woman would go against everything I am_, she thought to herself. _To love anyone even._ Admittedly, she had had feelings for another in the past, but she refused to give in to those feelings. She knew she was as capable of love as any human being. But her life demanded more of her. That's what she told herself. She knew she could trust her friends, but it had taken her so long to get to that mindset. To give herself over to someone else complete was futile, and outright dangerous.

_What am I so afraid of?_ came a voice from deep inside of her. The thought brought a swell of emotion to her chest. What harm could really come of loving someone? Shizuru, a woman as strong and powerful as Natsuki, was able to let herself love. But then, look where that got her only two years ago. _We were all going crazy though,_ Natsuki defended. It's understandable how one could step over the thin line between sanity and insanity when you're pitted against your friends. Especially when you're in love.

Does love really bring the willingness to kill and be killed for that person?

_Meanwhile..._

Mai burst into Shizuru's room. The golden-haired woman turned in shock to meet her friend's crazed eyes.

"Akira's in the hospital!" Mai announced. "There was a fire, she tried to help!"

Shizuru stood and followed Mai and Mikoto to the car. The three of them rode off to the hospital where Akira was kept in the burn victim unit. They rushed into the unit and Mai asked to be directed to Akira's room.

"I'm sorry," said the young man behind the reception desk. "She's unable to see visitors at this time."

Mai insisted on being shown to the room anyway to know where the girl was. Takumi sat in chair just outside the room, head bowed in silent contemplation.

"Takumi!"

The boy looked up and barely registered his older sister. Mai crashed to her knees before her brother and looked pleadingly into his eyes.

"Is she going to be okay?"

The boy gave a slight smile – his usually bright eyes were dull. "The doctor said her burns were minor. It will take a couple of months for her to recover."

Mai breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad to hear that. You know it could have been much worse, Takumi."

Takumi gave no visible response. He sat for a moment and finally spoke. "The child she tried to save is dying." Tears welled up in his eyes. "And his grandfather died in the fire."

An hour went by and a nurse came to give visiting access to Takumi. He entered the room and closed the door. Mai sat in a chair next to Shizuru, Mikoto passed out with her head on Mai's lap. The door to the ward flapped open and two police officers, accompanied a doctor, stalked down the hall and stopped at Akira's door. The doctor opened the door and instructed Takumi to exit. The door closed behind him and the group sat wondering what the situation was about.

"How is she?" Mai asked Takumi sheepishly.

He hesitated. "Physically, she's better than I thought. She has a major burn from her lower back to her shoulder." He gazed defensibly at the door. "But she thinks she's going to be charged for disrupting an emergency rescue and life endangerment."

All eyes returned to the door of Akira's room.

_Later..._

Natsuki's phone buzzed in her pocket. She reached into her jeans and flipped the screen. It was a text from Mai.

_We had a minor emergency, Akira is in the hospital. Plans are as before. There's nothing we can do but try to relax. _

Natsuki sent a text back asking what happened and received a brief explanation of last night's fire mishap. Mai also asked her if she knew of any good lawyers.


End file.
